


You Should Get Some Rest

by bookxish



Series: Say You Won't Let Go [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, moooore slow burn 4 u
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 03:20:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14926130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookxish/pseuds/bookxish
Summary: “Hey! What are you doing out here?”“I could ask you the same thing!” And somehow felt himself smiling.Tonks grinned. Rain streaked down her face, bounced off her eyelashes.“I couldn’t stay in on a night like this.”Someone laughed. It took Remus a second to recognize it was him.





	You Should Get Some Rest

_And you asked me to stay over, I said, I already told ya, I think that you should get some rest_

It was a dark and storming night. Stars peaked between the scars in the clouds, cut open by lightning, flashing over the hills, thunderously laughing before each strike. The moon blinked down from a break in the clouds, big and bright--the full moon was in a few days--or maybe it had been a few days ago? Astronomy had never been Tonks’s strong suit. The rain poured down from the heavens, but despite it she walked at a leisurely pace. Her clothes were sticking to her like a freezing second skin, but she didn’t mind. It made her feel awake. Even at 2 o’clock in the morning. The hour and the weather had deserted the streets, so when her name was called across the road, she jumped.

In the days leading up to the full moon Remus always found it harder and harder to stay indoors. Rooms would get smaller and smaller, ceilings shrinking down until he was almost forced outside, into the open air. But he couldn’t be around people. Not with the wolf so close--even a few days away he wouldn’t risk anyone’s safety. So he tried to sleep or work through his days--he’d basically moved into the Order safehouse-- ignoring the itch under his skin until the clock turned midnight, then basically bolting out the door. Most of his wandering was aimless--sometimes he ended up outside butcher’s shops, unable to draw his eyes from displays he’d rather not dwell on. Sometimes he ended up in parks, looking up at the stars and the sky. The moon. He felt as if he had memorized every crater and shadow on the celestial bodies face--like it was a brand on the inside of his eyelids. That particular night, he wandered the streets of London, the rain and the hour having driven everyone inside, leaving him more freedom to wander the streets. The only sound was the rain pounding on his skull. Well--almost.

Due to his heightened senses, he heard her footsteps first--light and leisurely. With how much he and Tonks had been working together lately, they were starting to become a familiar sound.Then he saw her on the opposite street, a look of pure serenity on her face. His feet hesitated for a moment, half in awe and half in jealousy. Had he ever felt that? He was calling out to her before he could consider whether or not he should, finding himself once again drawn in by her aura like a magnet. She kept doing it to him, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted her to stop. He didn’t, he really really didn’t. 

Her hand hovered over the pocket with her wand, but when she saw Remus, albeit soaked and looking tenser than his usual self, she relaxed. Gave him a smile even, laughing with the sound of the thunder.

“Hey! What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing!” And somehow felt himself smiling. 

Tonks grinned. Rain streaked down her face, bounced off her eyelashes. 

“I couldn’t stay in on a night like this.” 

Someone laughed. It took Remus a second to recognize it was him. He was 2 days from the full moon and he was laughing. No one had done that ~~since Sirius~~  for years.

She grinned at that, at seeing some of the tension relax in his eyes and shoulders. She’d heard stories from her mum about the Marauders. They had been some of her favorites--she had dreamed about becoming one when she grew up. The reality wasn’t as kind. But Tonks still saw the spark behind his eyes--of a man who had loved and laughed. It was a spark she found herself chasing every time they met. 

Above, lightning cracked, causing both of their heads to tilt skyward to watch the cosmic display. She turned back before him, and noticed his fists clenched against the cold, his body stiff with cold. He already looked like he hadn’t been sleeping, so he really shouldn’t be out in a storm like this--

“You wanna get outta here?” She called over the thunder. He looked down at her, and again found action before thought. He nodded, and for a second, small, cold fingers wrapped around his wrist before the world twisted away in a spin of pavement and raindrops. 

Rainy London sidewalks melted away to a warm, if small, flat. The rain and thunder could be heard outside the windows, but was reduced to pattering on the panes. Tonks moved around the place--hanging her soaking coat up on the hook by the door, pointing her wand at the fireplace, lighting it. She moved to the kitchen and lit the stove, putting the kettle on. 

As she flitted around, Remus merely stood, dripping on the rug by the door. He was feeling that feeling again--like the ceiling was coming down and the walls were pressing in. He was too close to a turn to be doing this--why the hell was he even doing this? He needed to go. He didn’t belong in her cozy flat. He should just turn around and--

“Earl Grey or Mint?” Tonks asked, looking over her shoulder at him. That easy smile was back, and he was caught in the force of it once again. She made him feel...normal. 

She gave him a slightly amused smile, raising a brow as he stood, stock still on her doormat.

“You can come in, you know. I don’t bite.” 

 I _do_.

The words cut, and Remus could feel the wolf stir under his skin. He swallowed hard, his tongue feeling as though it had shriveled away.

“I uh, I should go, actually.” He stammered out, heart starting to pound. 

“Remus, it’s pouring--”

“I’ll be fine,”

“And you’re soaked--”

“Tonks--”

“At least just dry off.” She said, having set the tea down, taking a few steps toward him. 

“Then you can leave. Please?” 

It was tempting. So tempting to agree--just for a few minutes--and sit in front of the fire. They would talk, she would sit next to him, and smile, smelling of rain, her body warm--

The wolf snarled. He stiffened. 

“It’s late. I shouldn’t keep you up any longer.” He met her eyes, and his reserve gave another wobble. 

“I’m sorry.” He was. “A-another time?” He hoped. 

A smarter woman, a more dignified woman, would see before her a man who made frequent excuses to dodge her company. Who was testy at the best of times, and who seemed to find her no more than a charming distraction--someone to bring him coffee. A smarter woman, a more dignified woman, would move on. Would work amicably with the man and let childhood dreams die. Nymphadora Tonks was a lot of wonderful things--not many of them dignified. 

“Another time.” She nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets. He gave her a smile that made her heartache and watched him open her door, then disappear down the street. She turned back to the stove when the tea kettle whistled, pouring herself a cup as she went to sit in front of the fire, staring absently into the flames.

She knew there was more to him. Sometimes, she could see it lurking under the surface, waiting to be discovered. She intended on being the one to discover it.


End file.
